Diligently Hiking the Chimp Trails
By Holly Chadwick
Previously I had lived on a boat for a year. I was tired of the nomad life and was in search of a change of pace, but still wanted to be close to the out of doors and hiking. Looking for scenery that would compete with my native Pacific Northwest, I landed in the North Georgia Mountains at the end of 2021. I landed just outside of Blue Ridge, Georgia. The North Georgia Mountains is home to great hiking, including the Appalachian Trail and the Benton MacKaye Trail. Tourists also know the area for Brasstown Bald and white-water rafting on the Ocoee River where the Olympics were held in 1996. Hiking, fishing, hunting, and outdoor adventure sports are the thing here.
In search of work, I came across an ad for Project Chimps, just down the road from me. There, I discovered an amazing training ground for more unique hiking opportunities on the Chimp Trails. Here is my account, over the timespan of a year, of exploring the trails at Project Chimps in preparation for doing more hikes this area is known for!
Flushed Cheeks Hiking the Yellow Trail
Before I even settled into my new role as the Digital Content Coordinator at Project Chimps, our Event Coordinator invited me on a hike to get to know team members and get the lay of the land around the chimpanzee sanctuary. It was a partly cloudy day, in the mid-50s, on December 16, 2021. Around 9:30am a group including myself, my two dogs (a golden retriever and a Lab Boxer mix), a couple of employees, and a handful of volunteers embarked for a hike on the Yellow Trail.
The Great Ape Escape 5k-ish
As a morale building exercise, we hiked the trail “backwards” which was the same direction The Great Ape Escape 5k-ish participants would hike the trail for an inaugural event Project Chimps would be hosting in April. We wanted to see what the trail would be like for the participants and the volunteers were scoping out where any potentially hazardous roots would need to be marked. (Note: The Great Ape Escape 5k-ish is happening again March 25, 2023. Click the link for details.)
The reasoning for having the participants hike backwards was so that they would go up the steep staircase incline, not down it. It could potentially be rather dangerous when timing was involved with multiple participants cramming the trail.
Varied Inclines
Previously as an avid hiker from the Pacific Northwest, I was used to trails with steep inclines, and lots of staircases. In other words, I thought this would be no big deal, as I considered the mountains of Northern Georgia to be foothills when I compared them to the Cascade Range of mountains in Washington State.
We started hiking the trail up by the driveway entrance to Project Chimps. We meandered through the forest of on a well-groomed trail over creeks with bridges and around hardwoods that had long lost their fall colors. Then the trail went straight up a staircase of Paris Mountain. Before I got to the top, I was feeling my cheeks flush. Wearing a down vest and long sleeves, I was over dressed for a brisk hike in December. The dogs pulled me up, egging me on and I was glad for that. When I got to the top, I was winded and wished I had water. When I got to the top of the staircase, I was happy to sit at a bench to enjoy the view. Note to self: bring a water bottle. I’m sure the dogs were thirsty as well. I was wrong about the hike being too easy.
Though I couldn’t see the chimps beyond the sanctuary walls below, I could hear their happy jabbering. After a brief rest, we continued on. Then, the trail evened out on to a gentle decline through the fallen leaves. Finally, we winded our way through mountain laurels back to behind the historic cabin and koi pond.
The hike took under two hours and though I was feeling hot, I felt invigorated and wanted to do it again.
A Leisurely Pace Hiking the White Trail
I returned to do a hike again, but this time the White Trail on February 6, 2022. I was happy to do winter hikes as I was not yet used to the humidity of the southern United States. The high that afternoon was 49 degrees. This time, I decided to take a more leisurely pace and to snap a lot of photos with my husband James and two dogs.
Project Harvest
The white trail started off the same as the yellow trail. We meandered thought the forest on a well-marked trail behind Project Harvest. Project Harvest is a plot of land used to farm produce for the chimpanzees. We went up the same steep staircase and then the white trail branched out to the left to a lookout.
Up to the lookout, my dogs heard the chimps down below in the sanctuary and curiously cocked their heads. The lookout views into the sanctuary and beyond were prolific as the foliage was still barren. Still, I saw no chimps.
Hiking The Decline
After the lookout, the trail switch backed down a steep decline and was a bit tricky in spots. It was good practice to get the dogs to walk behind and follow our command of “follow.” A pulling dog may have been dangerous on the narrow trail. If I had been without dogs, I would have wanted some hiking poles for this steep narrow section going downhill. I found myself doing the crab walk in one section as my husband laughed at my awkwardness. Later, I heard that the trail maintenance team was going to improve that section.
After the awkward steep section, there were some handrails in spots where the trail was narrow against a cliff and a drop off. I felt more comfortable on this section. The trail evened out again and met the yellow trail and came out again behind the historic cabin.
It took us just over two hours to hike this trail and this time I did not feel flushed, plus we got some good photos to share here.
The Educational Nature Trail
To get the full well rounded Project Chimps trails experience, I hiked the nature trail that starts behind the historic cabin. After a tour of the sanctuary for my husband’s birthday, we hiked this trail on April 25,, 2022, around noon and it was about 80 degrees.
The humidity was rather low that day. The leaves had finally come back after a long winter, so the shade was welcome. The hike took under 30 minutes, and we learned about all the flora and fauna along the trail from the 34 interpretive educational signs at a leisurely pace. There were no inclines on this trail and the loop is 1.2 miles. I thought it was interesting that sometimes fish come through the creek that connects to the koi pond.
Hiking The Convenient Blue Trail
On Project Chimps Discovery Days, on May 14, 2022, I took the Blue Trail from the upper parking lot to the main part of Project Chimps. It’s a convenient 0.3 miles that connects the two Project Chimps parking lots and the babbling creek makes it a pleasant walk. Project Chimps was buzzing with activity and parking was sparse. The upper parking lot is a good alternative during events such as Discovery Days when the sanctuary is open for tours to the public and this trail makes getting around easy. The next Discovery Days is May 13 & 14, 2023.
Hike for Hidden Hearts
With National Trails Day June 1, hikers were able to hike the Chimp Trails for free, foregoing the $2 parking fee per person. On this day in 2022, Project Chimps also introduced their Hidden Hearts program and hid two clear plastic hearts along the white and yellow trails with prizes inside. They have been doing this every month. If found some of the prizes can be redeemed by hikers at the Project Chimps gift shop in the historic cabin and some of the prizes are things such as a free pass to Discovery Days.
Regarding the Hidden Hearts program from the Project Chimps website,
“we all have a hidden heart, that little part of us we didn’t know would burst worth with joy and excitement when we first discovered something awe-inspiring. Many of our guests tell us that’s what happened the first time they make eye contact with one of the resident chimpanzees. And we were inspired to carry that theme to our hiking trails.”
Project Chimps Website
This was true for me as May 16, 2022, after taking photos and video, I had an encounter with Harriett chimp while behind the glass. I talked to her and held up my hand to the glass and she placed her hand over mine on her side of the glass. We had a moment, and it was awe-inspiring.
You can find the Chimp Trails on Alltrails. The next time you’re out on the Chimp Trails, keep a look out for a hidden heart, and if you decide to tour the sanctuary, maybe you’ll have an awe-inspiring experience with a chimpanzee!
